Privacy Policy

Last updated: 18th March 2026

1. Introduction

Monkaru ("we", "us", or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our employee shift scheduling application.

This policy complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

  • Email address
  • Password (encrypted)
  • Authentication tokens

2.2 Employee Data

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Department and team information
  • Employment type and dates
  • Vacation and working hours data
  • Shift preferences and availability

2.3 Organization Data

  • Organization name and settings
  • Schedule and shift configurations
  • Team and department structures

2.4 Usage Data

  • User preferences and settings
  • Application usage patterns
  • Device and browser information

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

  • Contract: To provide our scheduling services and fulfill our contractual obligations
  • Legitimate Interest: To improve our services, ensure security, and communicate with you
  • Consent: For non-essential processing activities where we obtain your explicit consent
  • Legal Obligation: To comply with applicable laws and regulations

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

  • Creating and managing user accounts
  • Generating and managing employee schedules
  • Processing employee data and preferences
  • Communicating with users about their accounts and schedules
  • Improving our services and user experience
  • Ensuring security and preventing fraud
  • Complying with legal obligations

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

  • Service Providers: With trusted third-party service providers who assist in operating our platform
  • Organization Members: Within your organization for legitimate business purposes
  • Legal Requirements: When required by law or to protect our rights
  • Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

6. Data Retention

We retain your data for the following periods:

Data TypeRetention PeriodLegal Basis
Active account dataDuration of your accountContract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR)
Deleted items (employees, shifts, schedules, absences)30 days in a recoverable state, then permanently deletedLegitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) — accidental deletion recovery
Activity logs90 days (accessible in-app), then archived for up to 2 yearsLegal obligation (ArbZG §16) and legitimate interest
Audit logs (security events)2 years, then permanently deletedLegal obligation and legitimate interest
GDPR data requests5 years after completionLegal documentation requirement

Soft Delete & Recovery Window

When you delete data (such as employees, shifts, or schedule entries), it enters a 30-day recovery window. During this period, the data is hidden from normal use but can be restored by an account administrator via the Trash view. After 30 days, the data is permanently and irreversibly deleted by an automated purge process.

Activity Log Archival

Activity logs are accessible in the application for 90 days. After 90 days, logs are automatically moved to a secure archive where they are retained for up to 2 years to comply with working time documentation requirements under Austrian/German labor law (ArbZG §16). Archived logs are not accessible through the application interface. After 2 years, archived logs are permanently deleted.

Important: As a user of our service, you are responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable labor law requirements, including any data retention obligations. We provide the retention mechanisms described above, but the Controller remains responsible for determining appropriate retention periods for their specific legal context.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right to Access: Request a copy of your personal data
  • Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
  • Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data (see details below)
  • Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured format
  • Right to Restrict Processing: Limit how we process your data
  • Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
  • Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for processing based on consent

Right to Erasure — Details

You have the right to request deletion of your personal data. Upon receiving a formal deletion request under GDPR Article 17:

  • Personal identifiers (name, email, phone) are deleted or anonymized within 30 days
  • Working time records are anonymized and retained for 2 years as required by Austrian/German labor law (ArbZG §16)
  • Activity logs referencing your actions are anonymized (user identity removed)
  • Authentication data is permanently deleted

Note: The 30-day soft-delete recovery window for casual in-app deletions (e.g., removing an employee or shift via the application interface) is separate from formal GDPR erasure requests. A formal GDPR request bypasses the recovery window and proceeds directly to anonymization/deletion.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information provided below or use the Data Rights Management page.

8. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience:

  • Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function properly
  • Authentication Cookies: To keep you logged in securely
  • Preference Cookies: To remember your settings and preferences
  • Analytics: We use Rybbit, a cookieless analytics tool — no analytics cookies are set

8.1 Trusted Device Cookie

When you sign in with two-factor authentication (2FA), you may opt in to "Remember this device for 30 days". If you check this option, we set a security cookie (mfa_trusted_device) that allows you to skip the 2FA code entry on subsequent sign-ins from the same browser.

  • Name: mfa_trusted_device
  • Purpose: Skip repeated two-factor authentication on a trusted device
  • Data stored: A cryptographically signed token containing your anonymous user ID and an expiry timestamp. No personal information such as your name or email is stored.
  • Duration: 30 days (auto-expires)
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) — only set when you actively opt in via the checkbox
  • HTTP-only: Yes — not accessible to JavaScript or third-party scripts
  • Removal: The cookie is automatically deleted when you sign out, or you can clear it via your browser settings at any time

You can control cookie preferences through our cookie consent banner or your browser settings.

9. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data:

  • Encryption of data in transit and at rest
  • Secure authentication mechanisms
  • Regular security audits and updates
  • Access controls and user permissions
  • Secure data backup procedures

10. International Data Transfers

All scheduling, absence, and employee data is stored and processed exclusively within the European Union (database and application server hosted in Germany).

The only personal data transferred outside the EU is billing metadata (email address, customer ID, subscription status) processed by Stripe, Inc. (United States) for payment and subscription management. No scheduling, absence, or employee data is shared with Stripe.

This transfer is protected by the following safeguards:

  • EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF) certification
  • Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) pursuant to Commission Decision 2021/914
  • Transfer Impact Assessment (TIA)

11. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will:

  • Notify the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours
  • Inform affected individuals without undue delay
  • Provide clear information about the breach and its implications
  • Take appropriate measures to mitigate the breach

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by:

  • Email notification
  • Prominent notice on our website
  • Update of the "Last updated" date

Your continued use of our services after such changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Website Analytics (Rybbit)

We use Rybbit, a privacy-focused, cookieless analytics tool hosted in the EU (Germany), to understand how our website is used and to improve our services. Rybbit does not use cookies, does not collect personal data, and does not track individual users across sessions. Because no cookies are set and no personally identifiable information is processed, analytics operate under our legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) without requiring your consent.

  • Controller: Monkaru
  • Tool: Rybbit (hosted plan)
  • Data processed: page views, referrer URLs, device type, browser, approximate location (country-level, derived from anonymized IP)
  • Personal data: none — no cookies, no fingerprinting, no cross-site tracking
  • Data location: EU (Germany)
  • Legal basis: legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)
  • International transfers: none — all data stays in the EU

We use Google Search Console to monitor indexing and site health. Search Console does not set cookies for visitors and provides aggregated reporting to us as site owners.

14. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Website Owner and Data Protection Officer

Name: Manuel Istratoaie

Email: support@monkaru.at

Location: Vienna, Austria

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have not complied with applicable data protection laws.

15. Authorization to Process Employee and Company Data

If you submit or manage personal data of employees or company representatives in the Service (such as names, email addresses, identifiers, shift preferences, availability, and related HR data), you, as the data controller, confirm that you have obtained all permissions, consents, or other lawful bases required by applicable law, collective agreements, and internal company policies to provide such data to us and to have it processed for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

  • You have provided all required privacy notices to the affected individuals;
  • You have established a valid legal basis for processing (e.g., consent, contract, legitimate interests, or legal obligation);
  • Your use of the Service aligns with labor and data protection laws and any applicable company rules or works council requirements;
  • You will refrain from uploading or processing personal data for which you lack authorization or a valid legal basis.

We act as your data processor and rely on your representations regarding authorization and legal basis. You remain solely responsible for compliance as controller, including honoring any local-law or policy restrictions applicable to your organization.